Why Amazon Employees Are Protesting Against Climate Change
On September 20, more than 1,000 Amazon employees – mostly from the company’s Seattle headquarters – will leave Amazon offices to protest the company’s inaction on climate change as part of a larger global climate strike . The strike, led by 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, is a protest against the continued use of fossil fuels and their role in the climate crisis.
“This will be the first time Amazon employees in corporate offices have left offices, and this is the first strike in the tech industry due to the climate crisis,” said Amazon Climate Justice Officers, the group of Amazon employees who organized the strike. said in a press statement .
But what exactly are employees protesting against? What can we expect from Amazon? (Here’s the spoiler: a little.)
What are they protesting?
The group said in a statement that they are protesting against the company’s “heavy” use of fossil fuels, contracts with fossil fuel companies that use the company’s technology to facilitate oil and gas production, and the funding history of members of Congress who voted against climate legislation. (More precisely, 68 attendees in 2018; Amazon also sponsored a gala concert hosted by the institute, which dispels climate change “myths.”
Last year, the AECJ called on Amazon’s board of directors and Jeff Bezos to pass a climate plan resolution signed by 8,215 employees that included public commitments to cut emissions and reduce pollution in communities hardest hit by climate change. The decision never went through.
Back in July, some 75 Amazon warehouse workers in Minnesota also went on a one-day strike on Amazon Prime Day, demanding higher wages and safer working conditions; a similar strike took place in Germany. Amazon was largely unharmed, and a spokesman said the protesters “conjured up disinformation” to their advantage.
What do they require?
The AECJ’s claims for Amazon are ambitious and include goals such as:
- Lack of contracts with fossil fuel companies.
- Zero funding for climate-denying lobbyists and politicians.
- Zero emissions by 2030, including the use of electric vehicles in the communities most affected by climate change. “Amazon’s commitment can get the industry off the ground. The company’s investment in electrified aviation or shipping is a game changer, ”says AECJ.
In April, despite its commitment to sustainability, Gizmodo announced that Amazon’s web services are actively serving the fossil fuel industry, fueling AECJ’s demand for zero contracts with such companies.
Did Amazon answer?
In a statement to Wired , Amazon did not address the strike news directly, but used the opportunity to highlight its sustainability initiatives. “Playing a significant role in reducing the sources of anthropogenic climate change is an important Amazon commitment,” they told Wired. “We have dedicated sustainability teams that have worked for years on initiatives to reduce our environmental impact.”
Amazon has made efforts to tackle its environmental impact, including adopting non-disappointing packaging and the recent announcement of the Zero Shipments project – a commitment to achieve zero carbon emissions for half of its shipments by 2030. through the continuous use of recyclable packaging, electric vehicles and renewable energy sources. According to the company’s announcement in February, they will share Amazon’s “whole company carbon footprint” later this year; Amazon hasn’t released these numbers yet.